SimCity BuildIt

Providing services for your citizens in SimCity BuildIt

As Mayor you’re expected to provide for your citizens’ basic needs by way of public services. If your citizens don’t have access to services they become unhappy, pay less taxes, and eventually move out!

Tap the services icon on the lower right of your screen to see the list of services. Every new residential zone you build must be connected to services. Since all services make use of the roads, make sure to place buildings and services along roads (or draw new roads to connect them!). Additionally, services have coverage areas. Some types of services will require a greater number of installations throughout the city to be effective.

Tap a service to see its performance visually mapped out over your city. Residential zones’ access to a service will be indicated in this view. ProTip: Super-efficient Mayors can quickly scroll between each service by clicking the yellow arrows now visible near the top of the screen.

When selected in the services menu, each type of service will give you different types of information about its effect on your city. (Note: Not all services provide all categories of information or in the same way.)

Capacity – How many residential zones are supported by your current service buildings? As your city grows, you will need to place additional buildings or invest in the greater-capacity versions available to support greater numbers of residential zones.

Area – How much of your city will a service cover or protect? The bigger, the better!

Requirements – What population level must your city reach before this building unlocks?

Building Price – How many Simoleons are needed to get the building up and running?

To build - When you’ve selected which service building you want, drag it onto the map. The white outline below the moving building shows where its footprint will be. It must be next to a road and not overlapping any other property. Zoom or rotate your view to see the location from different angles if you need more detail, then tap the green checkmark to confirm your choice.

To move – Tap and hold the service building you’d like to move, drag it to a different spot and tap the green checkmark if you’re satisfied with the new placement. Watch the effects on the surrounding residential zones as you move the building; if you are about to leave any without coverage, be prepared to remedy that quickly! And wherever you place the service, remember to have a road next to it so it can still provide for your city.

To bulldoze – If space is at a premium, you might need room for a bigger, cleaner, or more efficient service building. To demolish a service building, tap and hold the one you’d like to remove, then select the bulldoze icon from the right of your screen. If you spent Simoleons on the original building, you’ll get some Simoleons refunded. Tap to confirm your decision. Remember, if you bulldoze a service building and don’t replace it, your capacity will be reduced!

Sims will become unhappy if they live next to certain types of service buildings. These buildings will give off a brown ‘dirty radius’ on your visual map. Try to place them far from your residential zones.

Types of Services:

Power – Don’t leave your Citizens in the dark! They need electricity to power their homes. The yellow line displayed on the service view map shows all of your residential zones connected with the power supply. Choose different fuel types to suit your city. Do you prefer the thick comforting cloud of coal smoke or perhaps the silent whoosh of wind power? It’s up to you, and you can grab different City Achievements depending on your power philosophy.

Water – Stinky citizens make for an unhappy city, so keep them in the clear. The blue line displayed on the map in this view shows all of your residential zones connected with the water supply.

Fire – Do you smell smoke?! A fire house nearby will reassure your citizens and keep them happy. The green regions displayed on your service view map are the areas you have covered by a local fire building. A residential zone in red is a home in danger of catching fire!

Sewage – It’s a dirty job but someone has to do it. The pulsating brown line displayed on your map shows all residential zones that are connected on the sewage line. Pro-tip: You might not want to turn up your volume in this view.

Police – Safety first! Your citizens are happy when the police are around. The green regions displayed on your service view map are the areas you have currently committed to protect and serve.

Waste Management – Sims produce a lot of trash. Make sure it doesn't build up and upset your citizenry by making proper use of the waste management service once it unlocks. The brown line on your service view map shows which of your residential zones are covered by your waste management service buildings.

Health – A Healthy citizen is a happy citizen! Check your health service coverage on the service view map. Covered areas will appear in green.